A telecom equipment assembly is typically housed in a telecom equipment rack located within a telecom equipment room. Such a room typically contains rows of telecom equipment racks. These rows of telecom equipment racks define telecom equipment aisles.
Telecom equipment assemblies house electrical subsystems containing among other things, power supplies, which, for the most part, operate on relatively low voltage direct current (DC) electrical power in the range of zero to 60 volt DC power. Electrical power is supplied along heavy-duty large-diameter copper cables from battery equipment located in a battery room or plant or within telecom equipment racks themselves at a nominal 48 volts to the telecom equipment assemblies located in the telecom equipment room. The battery equipment under some circumstances functions as a power reservoir for the telecom equipment assemblies. The cables (“power feeder cables”) connecting the battery room to the telecom equipment assemblies within the telecom equipment room must be capable of conducting low voltage, high amperage, DC power with minimal resistance. The power feeder cables are typically run along overhead or in-floor troughs situated within corridors between the battery room and the telecom equipment rooms.
The power feeder cable normally terminates inside the telecom equipment assembly at a power entry point, which may be a terminal strip, bus bar or similar connection apparatus. The bus bar directs the electrical power to a power distribution module or to a breaker interface panel, and sometimes to a power converter.
The connection between the power feeder cable and the power entry point is often made through the use of a flat connector having a large surface area. The connection may be secured with a nut-and-lug type fastener. Over time, however, the contact between the power feeder cable and the power entry point begins to deteriorate as the nut begins to loosen due to heating of the contact through the interaction of electricity flowing through the cable and electrical resistance between the contact. Such heating results in the expansion of the components forming the contacts and ultimately loosening of the connection. If unchecked the loosening of the connection could result in power loss, or even scorching of the contacts. To prevent these consequences the connections must be inspected regularly and, if necessary, tightened by an operator.
This arrangement is well known in the art. However, a shortcoming in the existing art is that the connection between the power feeder cable and the power entry point is located inside of or at the rear of the telecom equipment assembly preventing convenient access to the connection. U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,161 to Olashaw et al. dated Dec. 2, 1975 is an example of an electrical switchboard having high voltage connections located at the back of the assembly. An operator typically must bring a step ladder into the equipment aisle and use it to gain entry to the inside of or the rear of a telecom equipment assembly in order to accomplish the task of inspecting and/or tightening the bolts thereby securing the connection between the power feeder cable and bus bar. This procedure is time consuming and presents potential hazards to the operator and the telecom equipment assembly itself.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a technique for connection of power feeder cables, which overcomes the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings.